The Virgin Islands Daily News

By:
Lynn Freehill

Published:
01/18/2007

ST. THOMAS - With one restaurant, five retail shops and two refreshment carts now open in Yacht Haven Grande, the $160 million waterfront development has been doing a brisk business in the last few days, even though it remains under construction.

Shaded by umbrellas and afforded views of about a dozen luxury yachts and three cruise ships, several tables of diners on Wednesday enjoyed lunch at Wikked. The casual dockside restaurant was the first Yacht Haven business to open on Friday. Carts selling Sabrett hot dogs and Ben & Jerry's ice cream were set up nearby.

Crew members in polo shirts and khaki shorts swabbed decks on many of the megayachts tied up at the marina, including the 452-foot-long Rising Sun. The $194 million vessel - the world's second largest yacht - returned to St. Thomas Harbor over the weekend for its second stay this season.

Although they must walk between screens that shield ongoing construction, hundreds of marina guests and local residents already have visited the new Yacht Haven. Chico's, Coach, Roberto Coin, White House/Black Market and Little Switzerland opened retail spaces at the site this week.

"Excitement and anticipation - that's what it's been," Yacht Haven Grande general manager Alex Andrade said. "I was jumping up and down when I saw the revenue numbers."

Thirteen more high-end stores, from Royal Caribbean to BCBG Max Azria, are expected to open in early February, he said.

Up to 250 workers labored on Wednesday on portions of the development - from a Louis Vuitton building to a 50,000-gallon free-form swimming pool to a courtyard fountain already bubbling water. The major work areas have been confined so visitors can wander through even as the developers comply with Occupational Health and Safety Administration regulations, John Stadler, the project's general manager for construction, said.

"The workmen are very good at leaving people alone," he said. "We have a lot of people who are taking a lot of pride in being on this job."

Several workers concentrated their efforts on Fat Turtle, another casual restaurant that is expected to open by March 1. While Wikked opens from 7 a.m. to midnight, Fat Turtle will serve up its Caribbean barbecue, pizza and cocktails from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. "It's all about fun and uniqueness. And they're affordable," food and beverage director Bill Cus said. "The rumor was we were going to be so expensive and not affordable at Yacht Haven, and it's really the opposite."

Martini bar and bistro Grande Cru will be a "transitional" restaurant between the two casual eateries and Three60, a fine-dining establishment set in an octagonal building being constructed over the water.

The marina, which is designed to accommodate up to 50 yachts per day of 65 feet or longer, has averaged a 45 percent occupancy rate since it hosted its first vessel in mid-November, Andrade said. A number of the yachts have made multiple visits, and he cited the service levels and the on-site U.S. Customs and Border Protection office as reasons for their returns.

Andrade said more than 50 megayachts have docked at the marina since it opened in November, with a number of them repeating to provision or pick up new clients.

Five of Yacht Haven Grande's 12 luxury condominiums have been sold for prices starting at $2 million, Andrade said. A 70-room hotel on the site is slated to break ground in early 2008.

Few cruise passengers have passed through Yacht Haven Grande because construction blocks their path from the Havensight dock, Andrade said.

But some visitors, such as Tom Sawyer of Key West, made their way into the area for sentimental reasons. Twenty-five years ago, Sawyer recalled, he would often relax with friends around the old Yacht Haven hotel and marina, which later were destroyed by hurricanes.

"I just came to see the old haunts," he said. "Before, it was like an island place - overgrown, lush, a funky little bar, seats in the pool. A hangout for the yachties."

Surveying the upscale Danish-style buildings, Sawyer said the former development was fun and different, but the new one was nice in its modern way. "This is progress," he said. "The change had to come."

Part of Island Capital Group LLC of New York, Yacht Haven Grande is owned by one of its subsidiaries, Yacht Haven USVI. Island Capital plans other "luxury-lifestyle" destinations for the Bahamas and other Caribbean spots, South America, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Maine.